Crafty Tuesday Returns: Unfinished Knitting

I have so many posts running around in my head and, as I am on holidays, you would think I might find a little time to get them written and posted. But the words are not coming so easily nowadays and I never seem to have the picture I want to illustrate a point...

However, Crafty Tuesday over at Barely Controlled Chaos is a spot I've loved for a long time (and I mean a LONG time) and it always inspires me to get something up, so to speak. So what craftiness have I been indulging in when I should have been doing housework/ schoolwork/ work for our business (oh yes, did I mention that new string to my bow?)?
Well, when my shoulder was at its worst, just after the surgery, I started knitting again. It was the only thing I could do without moving the shoulder too much as I use an odd method favoured by the ladies of Northern England, tucking the right needle under your armpit.

Observe normal method:

Observe very old shot of me in a former life:

With former fashion sense (what is that bow in my hair about??????) but with the needle tucked very firmly under my right arm. Oh and that very 80s jumper was one of my projects. We were quite adventurous in those days.

But I digress. As usual. Seeing as I could tuck the needle under my armpit and thus immoblise my shoulder, I was delighted to have the excuse to do a bit of knitting. The last time I knitted anything was in 2009 and so, with glee, I pulled out old patterns and bags of leftover balls of wool, with the intention of making something for 'nothing'.

I could have made a few scarves I suppose, or a blanket, or even a plain kiddy jumper using multicoloured stripes.....but no......I found this.

Way back in the 90s, one of the women's magazines published a series of these Beatrix Potter characters in the form of knitted toys. I made Peter Rabbit from the first edition and promised myself I would make the rest of the set after the baby was born.

Well, she is 17 now.

So I have decided to do Mrs Tiggy-Winkle, the hedgehog, as my post operative crafty therapy. I felt sure I could find sufficient odd balls of wool to complete the project.

FOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only did I find many of my remaining 80s colours far too garish for this watercolour character, but I could not find the right shade of brown for her face (there was none of the above rabbit brown left unfortunately). In fact, I visited several wool shops and bought SIX different balls of brown before I settled on the one I am using! So much for making 'something for nothing'.
I still think I may have gone 'too dark'.

Anyway, I am at the 'making up' stage now so hopefully by next Crafty Tuesday I will have a Mrs Tiggy-Winkle to show you.

After that, well, did I mention I had also bought sufficient wool to do a Pigling Bland?







For a look at what other crafters are up to, click over to Crafty Tuesday.

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